Good day beautiful people
I hope that this post meets you well? Happy new year to you all and I hope that in this new year The Lord will restore your hope and joy. The past few years have been extremely problematic for many which has led to a presence of lethargy weighing many people down. I’ve noticed that a lot of individuals I interact with feel so exhausted due to prolonged stressful life encounters. But thank God for His joy is our strength.
Nehemiah 8:10 ~ Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
So, my encouragement for us today is to remember that God has a great future in store for His children. The Bible says in Romans 8:28, that God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Upon attending two new years eve services, I identified a common theme as per the Holy Spirit’s revelation. Which was ‘not to give up’. Never ever ever ever give up. And both sermons were based upon the verses, found in the book of Judges chapter 6 which describes the encounter, which Gideon had with the angel of the Lord. Sometimes in life we may feel that God is very distant. We may even question why so many bad things keep on happening in our lives and in the lives of our loved ones. But what we must remember is that our feelings don’t always reflect reality. We must always remember that God will never abandon us and He is there with us in the midst of the storm. He is a very present help in time of trouble. And we must not allow the devil’s lies to deceive us. We must not live a life of defeat, for we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
Psalm 46:1 ~ God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.
When approached by the angel of The Lord, Gideon questioned the angel about all the bad things which were happening to the Israelites. To summarise he asked if God was truly with them, and wondered why they were surrounded by so much negativity. He had heard all about the miracles that had taken place during the time of his ancestors, but felt that miracles where a thing of the past. Basically he felt discouraged. He was living like a victim rather than a victor.
Judges 6:6-11 ~ “Then the angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!” “Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.” Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!” “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!” The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.”
It’s time for us to look at things from God’s perspective. See yourself the way that God sees you. The Lord saw Gideon as a mighty man of valour, yet he saw himself very differently.
Please don’t ever give up on life, no matter how hard life gets remember that you have a purpose and most importantly never forget that God will never abandon you. Allow Him to gently guide you through the storm, don’t let go of His hand. Exalt and magnify The Lord instead of magnifying your problems.
Psalm 37:24 ~ “Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.”
God bless
Love from
Christian Lady After God’s Own Heart 💜